The Wells Fargo Owl Habitat

I remember it was on Saturday during Martin Luther King weekend two years ago. My wife came through the door, her excitement showing like a bright aura all around her. "I just saw the cutest little owl!" she beamed, The word "cute," can never be overused in our household, and is the quintessential compliment you can give to anything or anyone."

"Where was it?" I inquired with interest.

"At the Wells Fargo drive thru!"

"Why don't we go back and see it? It's probably a Western Screech Owl." It seemed like the likely choice. Elf Owls are only summer residents and burrowing owls, though present in other parts of Tucson, seemed never to make it to the northeast part of town. In fact, they had never even been recorded in the history of the Catalina Mountain Christmas Bird Count, which covers most of northeast Tucson.

As we drove into the drive thru lane I saw it, on the ground, and realized this was no screech owl. It was the first Burrowing Owl I had ever seen or heard of in northeast Tucson! It was so exciting! We think he was attracted to a small drain pipe coming out of one wall. After that weekend we never saw him again, although I still look every time we're there.

It was close to a year later, December 11th, and we were heading back to Tucson from Phoenix. We had stopped by a huge shopping center, I believe in Casa Grande for dinner and a driving break. After dinner on our way out something flew across in front of the car, and I saw it land in a small tree. I turned back as soon as possible and pulled into parking lot where I had seen it, a Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. I believe Joni saw it first, another Burrowing Owl, sitting low in a tree, then on a post. We had a camera and snapped pictures from the car, one of which was actually salvageable.



So next time you're at the bank keep your eyes peeled, for who knows, you may just be in prime owl habitat!